Rain gauge



V. V. PHILLIPS May 30, 1950 RAIN GAUGE Fi led Feb. 10, 1947 Patented May 30, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAIN GAUGE Victor V. Phillips, Wic

hita, Kans., assignor to 1 Claim.

This invention relates to devices for measuring rainfall and has for its primary aim the provision of a rain-gage that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, adaptable for public use generally and capable of being operated and understood by the most inexperienced user.

The most important object of this invention is to provide a rain-gage having a frame provided with suitable graduated indicia thereon, which frame has unique parts integral therewith for holding a tubular receptacle in an operative position associated with said indicia, certain of said parts being adapted to carry a funnel in registering telescoping relationship with respect to the receptacle.

Another object of this invention is to provide a rain-gage having a frame adapted to be mounted upon a post or the like, which frame is provided with a pair of spaced apart laterally projecting extensions from one wall thereof, for removably supporting an open end tubular receptacle, said extensions being so formed to permit removal of the receptacle upon shifting the same longitudinally in one direction, swinging the same outwardly from the frame and the final step of imparting a longitudinal movement to the receptacle in the opposite direction.

A further object of this invention is to provide a rain-gage having a substantially U-shaped frame provided with end walls, one of the end walls having a cavity or dimple provided therein for receiving the normally foremost end of the receptacle and the other wall being perforated for slidably receiving the normally uppermost end of such receptacle.

A still further aim of this invention is to provide in a rain-gage having the aforesaid frame and receptacle supporting end walls, an upwardly projecting arm having a perforated table disposed in overlapping relation to the receptacle, which table not only serves as a supporting means for the aforesaid funnel, but provides a means for protecting the receptacle against entrance of rainfall at the point of joinder of the funnel and receptacle.

Many minor objects will be made clear or become apparent during the course of the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of a rain-gage made in accordance with my present invention, showing the same mounted on a post or the like, parts being broken away for clearness.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view thereof.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line IVIV of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line VV of Fig. 3.

A frame broadly designated by the numeral H! is U-shaped in cross-sectional contour and includes a normally back wall I2 and a pair of spaced apart substantially parallel side walls 14 and Hi extending laterally from the longitudinal edges of wall 12. The innermost face of this wall l2 has suitable graduated indicia l8 thereon for measuring the extent of rainfall as hereinafter more fully described.

Frame I2 is also provided with a normally uppermost and a lower end wall 26 and 22 respectively. These end walls 20 and 22 are in spaced apart relation and extend laterally from the normally back wall l2 in the same direction as side walls 14 and It.

The end wall 22 has a dimple 24 stamped therein adjacent the indicia 18 when the same is manufactured to present a cavity in the uppermost or inner face thereof. Wall 203 has an opening 26 formed therein and an arm 28 extends upwardly from the end thereof remote from wall l2, which arm 28 is substantially parallel to the wall l2. Extending laterally from the uppermost end of arm 28 toward the wall l2 and in overlapping relation to the end 26 of frame ID, is a table 30 having an opening 32 formed therein. An open end tubular receptacle 34 formed from glass or other transparent material is carried by the frame I!) with the lowermost closed end thereof disposed within the cavity formed by dimple 24 in wall 22 and its normally uppermost end extending through the opening 26 in the end wall 2!! of frame In.

A spun funnel 36 has a tubular stem 38 projecting through the opening 32 formed in the table 30 and into telescoping relation. with the open end of the receptacle 34. A number of openings 40 provided in the back wall ill of frame HI, receive screws or the like 42 for mounting the entire assembly upon a post or the like 44.

It is clear from the foregoing that when the rain-gage just described is mounted on a post 44, located preferably in a substantially open space where the fall of rainfall may more accurately be measured, such rainfall will be collected in the uppermost open end of the funnel 36. This collection will pass through stem 38 of funnel 36 and into receptacle 34 as at 4B.

The location of indicia [8 on wall l2 of frame I0 is previously calculated to the end that the operator may learn the extent of rainfall by simply associating the level of liquid 46 with the indicia Hi. The user may then remove receptacle 34 from within the frame ID for emptying the contents 46 thereof and restoring the rain-gage to a position for further use. This removal is accomplished by merely imparting longitudinal upward movement of receptacle 34 by sliding the same within the opening 26 of extension 20 and sliding the same on the stem 38 of funnel 36 to a .positon Where the lowermost end thereof is without the cavity formed by the dimple 24 of lowermost extension 22.

The next step in this operation is to swing the lowermost end of the receptacle 34 outwardly with respect to back wall [2 and then pull the same downwardly where the uppermost end thereof is out of engagement with the opening 26 of Wall 20 and the stem 38 of funnel 35. After emptying the contents 46, the operator may replace the receptacle 34 by reversing the procedure just described.

It is notable that the glass receptacle 34 is adequately protected by the walls [2, i4 and 16 respectively of the frame Ill and receptacle 34, as well as indicia IB, is readily viewable by the user. All of the component parts of the frame lil, including the walls l2, l4 and Hi, the end walls 20 and 22, the arm 28 and table 39, are all stamped from a single sheet of material and preferably from a substance that is relatively light and not easily subjected to corrosion because of exposure to the elements. In so stamping the frame 10, the opening 32 in table 30, a perforation 26 in Wall 22 and the dimple 24 in bottom wall 22, all have their axes in substantial alignment to the end that receptacle 34 is held parallel to the Walls 12, I4 and I6 of frame Ill, and funnel 36 is also maintained in an upright position with its axis in alignment with the axis of the receptacle 34. A relatively tight fit is provided between the stem 38 of funnel 36 and the uppermost end of receptacle 34 and to further prevent entrance of rainfall around the outermost surface of the stem 38 and into the receptacle 34, the table 32 is disposed in overlying relation with respect to the opening 26 in wall 20, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 5. It is also notable that the wall 20, arm 28 and the table 30, all of which form a part of frame Ill and extend from the uppermost end of the wall l2 present a substantially U- shaped member for supporting the funnel 36 and the uppermost end of the receptacle 34.

While only one form of rain-gage has been disclosed and described, it is understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of this invention or scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

A rain gage comprising an U-shaped frame having an opening formed in one leg thereof; an L-shaped extension on said one leg having a perforated plate overlying said one leg; a transparent, open-top tube resting on the other leg of said frame and passing through said opening; and a. funnel carried by said plate and extending through the perforation therein, said funnel projecting into said open top of the tube, that face of the bight of said frame adjacent the tube being calibrated.

VICTOR V. PHILLIPS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 756,109 Friez Mar. 29, 1904 1,153,355 Tredway Sept. 14, 1915 1,407,068 Johnson Feb. 21, 1922 2,056,196 Knappen Oct. 6, 1936 

